Ellie Cohanim arrived in New York at age 6 from Tehran, without speaking a word of English. More than four decades later, Cohanim now serves as the assistant special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism in the State Department — a job she feels honored and privileged to hold.
“If I look at my life right now, I say the American dream is so very much alive and kicking,” Cohanim told Jewish Insider in a recent phone conversation. “A little girl can come to this country, not speak a word of English and one day be tapped to represent the United States government — and furthermore in the office to fight global antisemitism, as a Jew — it’s a calling. It’s a dream and a privilege to be able to fulfill this mandate that we’ve been given.”
